2009 Chevy Tahoe Power Outlets

i have a 2009 tahoe lt2 and i'd like to know if there's any way i can get the front dash accessory power outlets turn off with the vehicle, i use a very nice ipod stand/charger which is smart enough to pause the ipod when power is cut, but power is never cut, so theoretically the ipod could play indefinitely if i leave it in when getting out of the vehicle, also when i do take the ipod with me i don't want the charger just sitting there eating battery, i could just unplug the charger daily, but it's designed to stay in the outlet, and pulling it in and out will soon wear on both the outlet and the charger, i see nothing in the owners manual for an easy fix, any ideas out there?

Comments

The way you would do that, is by installing a relay. You could probably pick one up at Radio Shack, you'd be looking for a 12VDC primary coil, with at least 20Amp contacts on the secondary (check the fuse rating of that circuit). If you could find a double throw that would be good, as if you tear into this you may want to do more than one of the fused circuits. I'd use a relay socket, so you can solder to the connectors, and then plug the relay. I don't have time to pull the electrical schematics, but as I recall those 4 outlets up front are on either two or three different fuses.

You'd cut the power feed going to the receptacle you want to turn off, and solder those two wire ends to the secondary points of the relay. You want to choose the points that are 'open' when the coil is NOT energized.

Next, you'll need to connect the primary side coil to a power source wire that is switched on when the key turns on. Run the + of the coil to that source, and a ground wire to metal frame. Solder all connections to ensure good reliable connections, and wrap with electrical tape to avoid anything shorting to ground.

Operationally, when the ignition is off, there is no power to the coil, the coil is not energized, and the secondary points would be open, thereby breaking the power to the outlets. When you turn on the ignition, power is supplied to the primary coil. That primary coil energizes like a magnet, pulling the secondary contact points together, and the power line to outlets is completed powering whatever devices were plugged into that outlet.

Well if you don't want to make it automatic, then you have another option.

I had bought some years ago, I suspect at some autoparts store, and expander. It basically plugs into the outlet, has about a 1 foot coiled extension cord, and then has three outlets. The intent is to be able to plug multiple items in (cellphone charger, radar detector, gps). Got it for an older car that only had one outlet.

On that expander, is an on/off switch.

So if you could find something like that, you could just leave everything plugged in and use that on/off switch to turn off what you need.

Not the same as automatic via a relay, but might be a simple way to give you partially what you need.